Freak....it's cold!!

Last weekend I went up to Chicago to go house hunting. The weekend was very productive and we think we have found an area that has good schools, nice houses and (from what we hear) a large ward. Rick took this picture of me to show Ben how much snow there was.
Even though we weren't doing anything fun, it was really nice to just hang out with Rick. It hasn't been fun for anyone since he has been gone.
Thanks to Grandma, Papa, Aunt Gina & Nana for watching the kids while we were gone. You guys are probably still recuperating.

This picture is just funny to me. This move to Chicago is going to have many firsts but I have never seen snow on a beach before. It makes me laugh that they have lifegaurd stands out in a foot of snow.
I brought my new Ugg's on this trip and they are officially my new best friends!! Sorry to all my sweet friends who I love and have been friends with my whole life. You have been replaced! JK! I will do anything to stay warm.

September-December 2008

Rick put together this video of pictures of the kids over the last few months. I think he missed us when he was in Chicago. The pictures are from September through December of 2008.

Georgia Aquarium

Last week the kids and I went to the aquarium with our friends Brittany and Zack. The last time we had been there, Ben had barely turned three years old and Olivia was just about 2 months old. So it was great to go back and see everything. It is the largest aquarium in the world. Ben's list of favorite things were the spider crabs, jelly fish, manta rays and the whales. Olivia's favorites were jelly fish, and the whales. As for me, I could sit and watch those balooga whales all day long. It is so relaxing. They also have a shallow pool that you can touch the sting rays and small sharks. They were pretty proud of themselves for touching a shark.

A Big Decision

I honestly don't know where to start. Our family has made a big decision. After living in Atlanta for 8 years, we are moving to Chicago, Illinois. Rick has accepted a great job there with National Vision and has already started working. He is there during the week and comes home on the weekends. The kids and I are staying here until our house is rented and then we will move officially. For the last two weeks, I have been in total denial. My emotions range from so sad to leave Georgia and my family, excited to move to a new place to explore, and disgust that I will have to deal with arctic weather and huge amounts of snow (I get cold in Atlanta). I really don't know how this southern girl is going to last. Saying that, I know that once we get there, our family will adjust quickly.

When we told Ben about our move he was very excited. We showed him a map and told him about fun things to do there. He was most excited that it snows. He will have all the snow he can imagine. He also is glad they have two major league baseball teams to go to.

Now I am just trying to clean out closets and get rid of things we don't need or use. Part of the relocation package includes me going to Chicago with Rick for house hunting trips. I will be doing that in the next few weekends. Which by the way, sounds like a dream come true. I haven't been on a plane by myself since college. No kids to entertain and no one to talk to sounds great!!

Since we don't know anyone in Chicago or know our way around, we would love any suggestions about great restaurants, good neighborhoods and fun family activites.

The next few weeks or months are going to be very chaotic for us but we are thinking of it as an adventure.